The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut has granted the state’s remand motion in its case against Exxon Mobil for allegedly misleading the public about connections between its products and climate change, as well as alleged interference with the marketplace for renewable energy and “greenwashing.” Connecticut v. Exxon Mobil Corp., No. 3:20-cv-1555…
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On June 10, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) published an Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) limited to employers in the healthcare section for COVID-19. OSHA has the authority to issue an ETS without utilizing the regular rulemaking process if it determines that (1) workers are exposed to grave danger from exposure to substances…
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In Clarksville Towers, LLC v. Straussberger, the Court of Appeals of Tennessee analyzed whether the trial court properly granted summary judgment for the owner of a corporation which was engaged as the contractor in a multi-million-dollar construction project. 2021 WL 1884636, at *1 (Tenn. Ct. App. May 11, 2021). The plaintiff, Clarksville Towers, LLC (“Clarksville Towers”), sought to hold…
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In Carlson, Brigance & Doering, Inc. v. Compton, 2020 WL 7233612 (Tex. App. Dec 8, 2020) the Court of Appeals of Texas held that a Certificate of Merit addressing the alleged negligence of an individual engineer does not have to separately address the employer’s alleged negligence arising out of the same acts or omissions. Forestar…
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FINRA recently issued Regulatory Notice 21-16 “FINRA Reminds Members About Requirements When Using Predispute Arbitration Agreements for Customer Accounts.” The Notice reminds members firms about certain requirements when using predispute arbitration agreements for customer accounts, as FINRA has recently become aware of customer agreements containing provisions that do not comply with FINRA rules. Under FINRA…
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On May 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced the withdrawal of the “Independent Contractor Rule”, which was established in the last days of the Trump Administration. This rule would have established a uniform standard for determining a worker’s status as an “independent contractor” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). The FLSA…
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In JLB Builders, L.L.C. v. Hernandez, the Supreme Court of Texas analyzed whether the Texas Court of Appeals erred in finding a fact issue existed as to whether a general contractor on a construction project owed a duty of care to a concrete subcontractor’s employee who was injured on the job. 2021 WL 1822947, at *1 (Tex….
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On April 28, 2021, the Department of Justice lodged a proposed consent decree with the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York in the lawsuit entitled United States and State of New York v. Holcim (US) Inc., CV No. 1:21-cv-490. The United States and the State of New York filed the…
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On March 18, 2020, pursuant to §§ 12-2-30(b)(8) and 25-5-12, Ala. Code 1975, on March 18, 2020, Chief Justice Tom Parker issued “Administrative Order Concerning Workers’ Compensation Cases During the Period of Suspension of In-Person Proceedings”, authorizing circuit judges to conduct workers’ compensation settlement hearings telephonically or by videoconferencing. This Order also authorized the use…
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The SEC Division of Examinations recently announced its examination priorities for fiscal year 2021, discussing key risks, trends, and examination priorities in an overall effort to promote and improve compliance. The two largest programs run by the Division, Investment Adviser/Investment Company Program and Broker-Dealer and Exchange Program, focus on the protection of retail investors and…
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